WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) released the following statement in response to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s false comments on the Open App Markets Act.

“Tim Cook seems terrified of increased competition, and Apple does not want Americans to have the option to circumvent their App Store monopoly. We fully agree with the need for comprehensive privacy legislation and have been actively discussing this with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. However, it misses the mark to say we can’t have both consumer privacy and competition in the app marketplace. As passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Open App Markets Act acknowledges this balance. Suggesting otherwise is a scare tactic to justify closing markets off to competition.” — Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal